Rockets Rookie Amen Thompson Showing 'Tremendous Poise and Maturity,' Says Coach

Amen Thompson has already impressed the Houston Rockets and their coaching staff.

Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson may only be 20 years old with zero official NBA games under his belt, but he doesn't play like that.

Thompson has a strong sense of self for a player who was drafted less than a month ago, and that is going to help the Rockets immediately.

“Just tremendous poise for such a young player,” Rockets coach Ben Sullivan said via The Athletic's Kelly Iko. “That ability to know your game, stay within yourself and stick to what you do and not get caught up in extra stuff shows poise and maturity.”

At 6-7, Thompson has the ability to defend multiple positions, but possesses the court vision of a point guard, a rare quality for any player, let alone one who can't order a drink in a bar yet.

Thompson prides himself on his versatility on both ends of the floor.

“Depending on who I play with and my teammates, I can go scorer or I can go facilitate,” Thompson said via Iko. “Just being versatile in that way.”

Some Rockets fans may have been concerned when the Rockets signed Fred VanVleet to a three-year deal, potentially roadblocking Thompson's path to the starting lineup. However, because of Thompson's versatility, he'll have the opportunity to not only lead his own unit, but to play alongside VanVleet among his other teammates.

VanVleet's skillset matches with Thompson, because he can also play on and off the ball.

"I think he’s a little unique in that he obviously is a very good offensive player to help get the team organized, make sure everybody is where they’re supposed to be," Rafael Stone said of VanVleet to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "But he’s also someone that has really flourished off the ball, is a really talented 3-point shooter, and someone who has been truly excellent defensively."

With VanVleet and Thompson's complementary skillsets and Jalen Green's ability to score at will, the Rockets have a legitimate backcourt that could give teams around the NBA some major fits.

---

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in news and insider information on the Houston Rockets? Click here

Follow Inside the Rockets on Facebook here

Follow Inside the Rockets on Twitter @InsideRocketsFN

Want even more Houston Rockets news? Check out the SI.com team page here

Check out the latest episodes of the Kiss of Death Podcast: